Howdy Stars fans! The Buss is finally back in motion after my Maymester course made me put the blog on the back burner. In this post, we will wrap up the process of looking back on what was the 2013-2014 season for the Dallas Stars. From here on, we will be focused on analyzing the club's current needs and trying to predict the moves that the upper management will make to help the Green Machine take the next step toward becoming a bona fide contender in the NHL's Western Conference. But for now, the task at hand: it's time to finish grading the roster. On to the men in the crease!
#32 Kari Lehtonen B+ Dallas came into this season knowing that the Big Finn would really have to take his game to the next level if this club was to see significant improvement. That thought was spot on; for as Kari went, so went the Dallas Stars. Lehtonen made 64 regular season starts, a mark that left him tied with Marc-Andre Fleury and Antti Niemi for most in the NHL. This is a double-edged sword, as it means that A) he was both durable and dependable all year long, and B) he received little help from his various backups. His GAA of 2.41 was good for 13th in the league amongst goaltenders with at least 49 starts, and his save percentage was a respectable .919. As you can see in my chart below, I rank Lehtonen just outside the top ten of NHL goaltenders. This clearly does not make him elite, but it does represent a significant surge in his play as of late and places him in good company. I could have placed him at #9, but playoff experience and long-term level of play forced me to place Niemi and Miller just above him. I think that with a better defense in place in front of him, Lehtonen could easily pass these two. Whether he can move higher up the rankings to become a truly elite goaltender is a question that only he will be able to answer. A lengthy playoff run is the one credential that he does not have. Can the Big Finn stand on his head and backstop the Stars to a string of series victories sometime in the years to come? Only time will tell.
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Sorry folks, there can be only one King.
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Here's my list of the top netminders in the NHL. I threw out nearly all goalies who are used in tandem on a specific team because, in order for a goalie to be considered elite, they must be the starter that their organization turns to at a moment's notice.
Additional factors considered included:
-recent success (past 2-3 years, a.k.a. what have you done for me lately?)
-postseason success overall
-quality of team in front of him
THE TOP ELEVEN
1.) Henrik Lundqvist (NYR)
2.) Tuukka Rask (BOS)
3.) Carey Price (MTL)
4.) Jonathan Quick (LA)
5.) Corey Crawford (CHI)
6.) Semyon Varlamov (COL)
7.) Mike Smith (PHX)
8.) Sergei Bobrovsky (CBJ)
9.) Antti Niemi (SJ)
10.) Ryan Miller (BUF-STL)
11.) Kari Lehtonen (DAL)
Honorable Mention: Ben Bishop (TB), Jimmy Howard (DET)
Had to omit due to tandem: Cory Schneider/Martin Brodeur (NJ), Roberto Luongo (VAN-FLA), Jaroslav Halak (STL-WSH), the Minnesota quartet.
PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT ON THIS POST! I want to know precisely what you think of this list. Do you think I've got it right or do you think I'm upside down? Tell me your top ten, I honestly think that you'll find ranking numbers 6-11 rather difficult. If you think that I'm absolutely out of my mind, remember that this is tough stuff, even for the experts (one of which I, admittedly, am not as of yet). *sigh*
#30 Tim Thomas C+ The Stars' biggest in-season acquisition was a real headline-grabber as Thomas, the veteran netminder turned temporary political pundit, made his way to Big D. He was acquired from the Florida Panthers on March 5th for Dan Ellis in a simple two-player deal. Almost immediately, Stars fans thought that the trade might be a stroke of genius by Stars GM Jim Nill; because shortly thereafter on March 8th, Kari Lehtonen was concussed in a collision with Minnesota's Erik Haula, an injury that would keep him out of the lineup for ten days. Thomas would make the next three starts for Dallas, and the results were mixed (a fantastic win over St. Louis and bad losses to Calgary and Winnipeg). Once Lehtonen returned, Timmy rarely saw the ice on a consistent basis. Overall, Thomas made 8 appearances (6 starts) and went 2-4-1 with a GAA of 2.97 and a save percentage of .902. Those numbers aren't too bad, but they are nowhere near what the coaches and fans wanted out of the Stars' new backup. My reasoning for Thomas' subpar showing is the fact that his style clashed with the inability of the Stars' defensemen to clear the crease effectively. Tim Thomas is an aggressive goalie who challenges shooters and, in the process, gives up some juicy rebounds. On a team like the Boston Bruins, which collapses toward its own net very effectively, this wouldn't be a problem. But on a team like the Stars, which lacked both size and grit on the blue line this season, a goaltender like this was bound to be a liability. I'm not saying that Jim Nill made a big mistake in acquiring Thomas, but he will have to be more selective as he searches for a new backup goalie this offseason.
#30 Dan Ellis C- We cannot effectively analyze what was the Stars' goaltending situation in 2013-14 without acknowledging the aforementioned Ellis, who was, somewhat unfairly, vilified for some of the struggles of Kari Lehtonen due to his own issues in the crease. When Lehtonen went down with a groin injury very early in the season, the team turned to Ellis to carry the load until further notice. The veteran backup made 4 starts over that stretch, going 1-3-0. These struggles led to the coaching staff leaving him on the bench for long stretches at a time. For example, after those four early-season starts, he did not play for over a month. Don't get me wrong, he did some good things this year, too. He was extremely effective against, of all teams, the Anaheim Ducks. On November 26th, Lindy Ruff sent out Ellis to face the Ducks on national television, a move that surprised everyone. All Ellis did was keep his team in the game until they exploded for five third period goals to win the game 6-3. On February 1st, he did something even more impressive to the Ducks on their home ice, shutting them out in a 2-0 Stars' victory. In all, Dan Ellis played in 14 games for the Stars before being traded to Florida, making 11 starts. His record of 5-6-0, GAA of 3.04, and save percentage of .900 certainly should have been better, but I'm wondering how much of the blame for Ellis' struggles can be placed on Ruff and Company. It had to be difficult for Dan to get into a rhythm when he was only playing once or twice a month. I tend to think that the goaltending situation could have been improved, as a whole, with more balanced play by both the #1 and #2 guys in net. It will be interesting to see heavily Ruff and his crew lean on Kari Lehtonen next season. With a new backup in Big D, I tend to think that their strategy will change.
NOTE: The following two players are graded primarily for their performance with the Texas Stars.
#1 Jack Campbell B The Stars' top prospect according to the player development experts over at DefendingBigD.com, Campbell was expected to get his first taste of being a full-time starter at the professional level this season with the Texas Stars. Unfortunately, he did not get the chance to prove himself in this role. When he was on the ice, he was flat out dominant, stone-walling opposing offenses left and right. However, he spent much of the regular season recovering from a pair of lower-body injuries. In all, Campbell finished the regular season having made 16 appearances and posted a stellar record of 12-2 (plus two shootout losses) with a GAA of just 1.49 and a terrific save percentage of .942. In the Calder Cup playoffs, he alternated the starting job with Cristopher Nilstorp and went 2-1 in four appearances with a GAA of 2.54 before being injured in Game 5 of the Western Conference Division Finals against Grand Rapids. Also, Campbell made his NHL debut this year prior to his first stint on the injured reserve list. He got a start on the road in Anaheim on October 20th during the stretch in which Ellis was filling in for the injured Lehtonen. The good: Jack made a whopping 41 saves. The bad: the Stars allowed 47 shots in the game. Obviously, the situation he was put in was completely unfair, as he was thrust into the lineup against one of hockey's best teams before the Stars' defense situation had been properly sorted out (this game was the nail in the coffin for the pairing of Sergei Gonchar and Alex Goligoski). Campbell will most likely remain with the Texas Stars next season so that he can gain the experience of being a full-time starter before he moves up to the NHL level as the Dallas Stars' full-time backup. While 2013-14 was not kind to Jack's development, make no mistake, this kid is the real deal. If he continues to develop at his current pace, look out. We could have something huge in Big D by the time 2015-16 rolls around.
#41 Cristopher Nilstorp B+ Nilstorp only made one appearance in a Dallas uniform this season, a significant step back from 2013, when he began the year as the backup with the Dallas Stars. That said, the 30 year-old Swede played a crucial role for this organization as he backstopped the Texas Stars to the AHL's highest point total in the regular season and then through the playoffs to the Calder Cup Finals. During the regular season, Nilstorp appeared in 45 games, finishing with a 27-12 record(plus 4 shootout losses), a 2.45 GAA, and a save percentage of .918. He also had three shutouts on the year. During the Calder Cup Playoffs, he alternated starts with Jack Campbell through the Stars' first eight games before Campbell was injured in Game 5 of the Divisional Finals. Nilstorp came in and won that game before finishing off Grand Rapids in Game 6. Then, facing one of the league's best clubs, the Toronto Marlies, in the conference finals, Nilstorp stood tall time and again, giving his team the boost it needed to break through an incredibly stout defense time and again. It took seven games, but the men from Cedar Park came through and are now on their way to the Calder Cup Finals for the second time in their five-year history. They will start the series against the St. John's IceCaps (Top affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets) on Sunday at the Cedar Park Center. After this season Nilstorp will be an Unrestricted Free Agent, leaving Jim Nill with a major decision to make. Does he re-sign Nilstorp to shore up his organization's goaltending depth, or does he let him seek greener pastures in order to give someone else a shot? This will be an interesting story to watch unfold, especially if the T-Stars hoist the Calder Cup in the coming weeks.
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Bring it home, boys!
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Please Note: My next post will be a real mixed bag. First off, I will analyze the performances of those who oversaw the day-to-day operations of this team in 2013-14. Then, I will offer a brief comment on the team's (relative) attendance woes before giving you a run down of all the things that I plan to talk about in the coming weeks. Come on you Stars!
Christian Bussler
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